The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-12-29
POKEBERRY NOSE.
a Comedy Of Errors on Dog Fennel
Creek.

"You're noble jedge O. good terbacker,"
said old Pokeberry Nose an insinuatiRg grin
ripping his leathery countenance, as he settled
firmly down upon the exchanges heaped in the
vacant chair. THAT what We give me the last
time wuz In wuz the best that I've chawed
sence the war. It'd less cOpperas in 1t, an
more jinyouwine strength. Wizard We git it?
/ can't find none like it nowkar."
(" Ali of which means that you'd like me to
send out for another plug. Well, here goes"
" Say, won't We make better bargain eft ye
buy quantity? Frinstuns, won't they give
We three plugs for quarter?"
"Well, three plugs it is, then. 1hope thatn
last you long time
It'll sut'nly last me till ! come IN agln,
which III take keer shan't be great while"
+" By the way, never tole We bout the rue
tion we come nigh havin' at Lie Hathaway's
barn raisin'. did ?"
No, believe not.
"Well. some time alter Lie Hathaway's in
fsre he concluded to have barn raisin'. Lie
wuz the uhriftiest young Teller on the Crlek, an
be knoWed that he could git more people to-
Fether an git more work ont Of EN- while the
interest wuz fresh in his marriage with
S'phrony. S'phrony made a quiltin' at the
same time TO give the young women something
20 do while their beaux wuZ at work b lstln'
ND the logs. In course, everybody on the Crick
come. The Criekers WIZ a mighty sociable
lot an nothin' could keep 'em away from
blowout of any kind where there wuz chance
O. gittin' plenty to eat and drink, specially the
Hoskinses an Wiggiuses 1t used to be said
that the Wigginses an HOskinses who WIZ
buried round the church at the Forks, turned
over in their graves an kicked at their coffin
lids an tried to git out every time the preacher
give out that there wuz a-gwine to be barbe-
cue or mother big feed somewhat.
Il De- I'll
Illus Arbuckle-the blacksmith twin-wuz a.
courtin' Mary Warsaw, ole Capt. Warsaw's
niece, mighty stiddy an stTong?"
"Yes"
"Mary wuz tall, witty gal, with face like
peach blossom, an the spirit of a thorough
bred. She'd been raised north o the Ohio
River, an had some notions that WIZ differ
ent from the ideas Of the gals on the Crick.
She wuZ purifier, an smarter n any on EN-,
an with more git-up-an'- git to her. S'phrony,
who'd queened it over all the other gals on the
Crick afore Mary came, wuz jealous of her, an
never lost chance TO give dig at her. When
anybody spoke O. Mary Warsaw's beauty an
spirit, S'phrony ID low, with a snih, an toss
of her head that the Warsaws never wuZ real
quality folks. an that Mary's father wuz the
runt O. the lot. an that nobody edzactly
knowed why he'd left Firginy SO suddenly
an moved out away off among the com
mon low-down people on the other side o the
Ohio Undoubtedly, she'd say, he found him
self more at home 'mong the kind he found
there. Nary's manner showed clear 'nuH to
any one how she'd been raised, an who she'd
'sociated with She hated TO say it of anybody,
but she Almost believed, sometimes, that the
gal wuz at heart an Aboltionist. She really
thought that Elder Jaggers wuz entirely too
easy when he Jet her come to the communion
table without questionin' her elusly on that
pint.
@Re1nus Tullius Arbuckle didn't have no
plain an easy sailin' with Mary, kin tell ye.
She didn't propose 70 give up to no man till
she'd put him through his PAGES an wuZ sure
Of him aud herself an that they'd both 60 well
together in double harness. / used to watch
her, for she wuz an interestin' study. Some
times she'd pear mpletely tuck up with Re-
mus'g soft easy ways, an then she'd seem to be
sick Of bis lack O. edge an snap, an shed turn
70 Hank GiIlem. who talked loud an swag-
rered round Hank had a nice farm, while
Remus wuZ only blacksmith, which may have
had something TO do with her conduck Then,
agin, she'd seem 70 sour on both on 'em, an go
round with 'Masa ThrOcE morton, who clerked
in the store at the mouth o. the Crick, wore
billed shirts every day, an WIZ muscled like q
grasshopper. At the time O. the barn-raisin'
she'd been hayin' spell O GOODNESS toward
both Remus an Hank, an WIZ goin' round
with 'Mass, who brung her TO the getherin'.
Both the other feliers wuZ on the anxious seat
for they'd an instinck that things wuz comm
TO q focus, an they materially felt cat-an'- dog
like toward one 'nuther. an toward little
'Nass.
The folks gethered in airly, an Lie, who
wuz a born boss, divided 'em up. an set 'em
right to work. Pete Virgins an 81 Hoskinz,
who WIZ big an hulkin', wuZ made chiefs o.
gangs with haudpikes. TO roll the logs up, an
Remus, Hank, Zeke Hathaway an Jim Padg-
eft. who WIZ Lighter built an spryer, wuz to
40 on The corners with axes, an fit the logs to
their places. Bud Hoskins an Buster Virgins
toied water an whisky TO the men, an Squire
Tulkinhorn an Cap'n Warsaw done the heavy
Etandin' round an drinkin' an hollerin'
'Aasa ThrockmoTton made hisself agreeable
an useful to the young women round the
Quiltin' frames"
And what was your share OF the work."
@Me2 o, / didn't do much of anything
Nobody ever expected me TO do any hard
work. Ny liver WIZ out Of order so jest
found comfortable seat nigh the jug an give
the rest good suijestious an advice. For hours
everything went long unusually peaceable foI
Grickers. Bud an Buster had their customary
fights every quarter Of an hour, in which there
WIZ much more noise than blood split, an 81
an Pete, who wuz racin' with their gangs had
their usual quaFrels ez to which Wuz the best
man, an threatened 20 drink one 'nuther's
hearts blood but all this wuz expected, an
4ybt4. pau 10 bclbioL 10 Up Oh bAt
corners things looked little more squally al
times, for tie more whisky Hank got in to
hisself the more oudashEs he got, an he moi
only rubbed 1t in on RemGs, but Wuz snarly
an oveTbearin' to Jim an Zeke. Remus an
Jim took il all meckly, but Zeke'd spat back
Finally. ez they wuz layin' the last log HAM
give il a student twist. II ketebed Eek
onawsres, an flung him clean to the ground
ZeEe WIZ ez nimble CT a cat. an so didn't ri
hurt very much, but it made him powerful
mad. he jumped to his feet an cussed Hank
and said he'd done it on purpose. Hank go
down ofIen the pen, an called Zeke liar, an
said he'd lick him If he said il agin.
Rcmus Tullius come atwixt the two, an
said very sweet an gentle:
Don't hit the boy, Hank. BE amt you
size'
Hank turned on him like a wild bull
SO Mebbe be amt but you air. Dye want +
take II up2'
80 amt, TO say. bankerin' TO take anything
mp said Remus Tullius
! should say not said Hank scornfully
a. That's not yer style. Ye kin talk, an that
bout ali We kin de-
"tAll the same said Remus, I'm not a-gwin
10 see you hit that boy